Blind Ambition
by Sci-Fi-Reader
Summary: After a mysterious man shows up with Keitaro after an archeological dig, Shinobu finds herself caught up in a game of cat and mouse between two ancient foes. Can Shinobu survive this AND her first year at Tokyo U!
1. Blind Love

Chapter 1

Blind Love

The cherry blossoms gracefully danced around the campus of Tokyo University as the wind brushed them through the crowds of people waiting in line. The sun was shining bright, and not one cloud was in the sky to cover the golden rays of the sun or the soft blue that surrounded it. There were loud cries of joy and sorrow as each participant searched up and down endless billboards for their name. However, as the search continued longer and longer into the day, things seemed a bit more helpless.

"Don't worry you're head off kid!" a voice said as a hand came down slapping another girl on the back,

"That's easier said than done Kitsune!" Shinobu's eyes were already tearing up, "It's hopeless! I could never make it into Tokyo U my first try! Not even Naru did that!" Shinobu ran in circles frantically blurting out alternatives to do with her life as the others continued to look.

"There's still a lot of names left Shinobu, don't give up so easily." Keitaro smiled at her with hope in his eyes and continued to look for her name. Shinobu stopped panicking and blushed a bit.

She sighed softly, "…Sempai…" her voice was almost a whisper. She smiled and with new determination she continued to look. Shinobu, now about nineteen years old, had grown fast through the rest of her high school years. Her hair grew longer, about shoulder blade length, but she fashioned it into a semi-high pony-tail to stay cool in the sun. She wore a light, white shirt and short jeans with black and white converse shoes. Everyone frantically searched for Shinobu's name, Motoko, who made it into Law School the year before, Su, Sarah, Kitsune, Mutsumi, Naru, and even Keitaro came from a huge archeological dig to see if Shinobu passed her tests.

Suddenly, just when time seemed to move the slowest, Su screamed, "There it is!" Shinobu quickly glanced up and down to where Su was at and finally spotted her name in black right underneath the number of her exam ticket.

Her face became red and her eyes began to tear up, "I… I made it…?" There was a bit of silence before an explosion of cheers flooded Shinobu's ears. She soon found herself being lifted off the ground and being thrown into the air by everyone around her.

"Great job Shinobu!" Naru exclaimed,

"You have made us all proud!" Motoko cheered,

"I want bananas!" Su cried out,

The group soon set her down and as she wiped away her tears she stood proud. "Let's go home and party! Booze!" Kitsune quickly ran to the car as the others followed shortly. Shinobu stood for a bit longer staring at the large building of her new school.

"I… I'll do my best." She clenched her fist and gave a determined smile and trotted off to the van.

* * * * * * *

`Shinobu quickly ran through the halls of Tokyo U, a bundle of books and papers in her hands held close to her body as she raced down the corridors. Her hair was still tied up, but wore nice black flats and a dark blue dress with a small black pendant around her neck. _"Shit,"_ she thought, _"it's only the second day of school and I'm already lost and late to class!"_ She hurried down the hall and made a sharp left, bumping into someone and dropping her papers. "Oh no!" She quickly picked up all the papers while apologizing, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Please forgive me!" She bowed quickly and ran off. The man stared blankly at her as she hurried away, but smiled and bent over to pick up a paper she had forgotten.

* * * * * * *

The door to the classroom slammed open, "I'm sorry I'm late professor!" Shinobu quickly found an open seat and sat down, but the professor had stopped the class.

Glaring at her he snarled, "If you read the syllabus Miss…?"

"Maehara sir. Shinobu Maehara."

"Ah, I see. Well, if you read the syllabus Miss. Maehara you will happen to find that tar…"

Before the professor could finish his sentence though, the door swung open again, "Professor B.!"

The professor quickly looked over and his stern look became a great smile, "Why if it isn't Saygun! How are you!" They shook hands firmly, "What brings you to my class hmm?"

Saygun was a tall man with broad features with a white button up shirt with slacks on, his hair looked somewhat like Keitaro's, though it was a bit longer and slightly combed to one side.

He smirked showing his incredibly white teeth, "On the way to class I bumped into this girl and she dropped this." He raised his right hand and handed a paper to the professor,

"Why, this is indeed my syllabus."

"Uhh.." Shinobu shyly raised her hand, "I think that's… that's mine sir. I'm sorry professor!"

"There's no need to be sorry," Saygun smiled, "it was my fault completely and I know how you are with people being late. If you could go easy on her today I'm sure it won't happen again."

"Well Miss. Maehara, consider yourself lucky that Mr. Saygun came here to keep you out of trouble."

Shinobu nodded firmly, walked up to Saygun and bowed, "Thank you very much."

Saygun smiled, "It's no problem, Shinobu, was it?

"That's right." She laughed nervously, _"This guy is pretty cute…"_ She thought in her head.

"Alright I better get going now professor, it was nice meeting you Shinobu." Saygun smiled and walked for the door, "Hope to see you around." He gave her a tiny wink and closed the door behind him. Shinobu began to blush and turned around, only to see the entire class was eyeing her, making her blush harder. Some guys snickered, and some girls gave a look of jealousy. "Oh no!" Shinobu thought, "what was that all about? Why am I blushing? Who was that guy?"

* * * * * * *

"Lunch time…" Shinobu sat with large tears falling down her cheeks, "the worst part of the day. It's been three days and still no friends yet. And why do I keep talking to myself?" She sighed, "I feel like Charlie Brown."

"Mind if I sit here?"

Shinobu looked up and saw a bright faced young man, "Oh! You're…" There was a slight pause, "Saygun!"

He smiled, "I'm glad you still remember!"

"What're you doing over here with me?"

"Well I saw you eating by yourself so I thought I'd keep you company, besides we haven't been properly introduced yet."

"_Oh no!"_ Shinobu thought, _"He knows I've been sitting here by myself! NO! I can't let him think that!"_ "Oh no, I'm just… waiting for my… other friends to get their lunch is all! Yeah, that's right!" Shinobu waved her arms nervously.

"Oh, well you don't mind me sitting here with you until they get back?"

"Huh?!" Well… I…"

"Good! Don't worry, I don't mind." He smiled.

"_Oh God! Now what?!"_

"Aren't you going to eat?" Saygun asked pulling out his lunch,

"Huh? Oh… yes of course." Shinobu shyly pulled out her lunch, _"Almost forgot it was lunch." _

"Wow!" Saygun exclaimed,

Startled, Shinobu jumped in her seat, "What?! I'm sorry I didn't mean to lie! I…"

"That food looks declious!" Saygun looked down at Shinobu's lunch, "And smells even better!"

Shinbou smiled, calming herself down, "W-Would you like some?"

Saygun, "Oh no it's your lunch, I wouldn't want to tear you away from that. Where'd you buy it anyway?"

"Oh, I made this yesterday for dinner and there were some leftovers so I thought I'd bring them to school."

"No way! You made this!"

"Yeah, and there's still plenty of leftovers at home, my landlord is away on a dig but it's a habit I make more food than needed, so please have some."

"Oh! Thank you!" Saygun leaned over and grabbed some noodles with his chopsticks,

"It's the least I can do for you for helping me yesterday." Shinbou looked down and saw he was at the same level as her breasts, _"What the…?!"_

Not noticing, Saygun jumped back up with a huge smile on his face, "This is the best thing I've ever tasted!"

Forgetting about what had just happened and excited for the compliment, Shinobu looked back at him, "You really think so?"

"No joke! That's really good!"

Shinobu blushed a bit, "I'm glad you like it!"

"Oh by the way, I couldn't help but notice that pretty pendant you have on."

Shinobu looked down at the pendant and grabbed it with her hand, "Oh this? This isn't the real thing, it's just a replica."

Saygun looked confused, "What?"

"Oh, well my old private tutor is now an archeologist and frequently brings back artifacts and gifts for my, well you could call them, my family. This was the first thing he gave me and I couldn't handle the thought of getting it damaged, so I asked one of my friends to make a replica of it for me. See?" She turned it around, revealing a symbol of three eyes in a triangular shape and a small signature that was said, "SU."

"That's very thoughtful of you Shinobu." Saygun smiled his bright smile at her,

She blushed madly, "O-oh… it's nothing really…"

"So have you dated him yet?"

"What?! No! Why would you… no! He has a girlfriend! And how do you know it was a he?! I didn't even say his name!"

Saygun laughed, "Relax! Just joking with you." He smiled again, "But it just seemed like you cared a lot about that pendant, so I figured it was given by someone you really care about."

Shinobu looked down at the pendant and laid it back down against her chest, "Yeah.." Shinobu sat there thinking for a bit, but caught herself and, waving her arms around, cried out, "Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ignore you!"

Saygun laughed, "No, don't worry about it! I thought it was cute."

Shinobu began to blush madly, "C-cute? Me?"

"Oh man what time is it?" Saygun looked down at his watch and cried out in surprise, "Oh crap it's already one thirty? I got to get to class!" He got up, putting his stuff away while doing it, "Sorry I couldn't wait till your friends got here."

"Oh it's ok Saygun, thank you for spending time with me, I really enjoyed it." She said while getting up for courtesy,

"How about I make it up to you, meet you at here at seven?" Saygun asked as he finished up packing his food,

"At… seven?" Shinobu looked shocked,

"Yeah, for dinner." Shinobu looked frozen, "What's a matter, don't you trust me?" He smiled and furled her hair around, "I'll see you there then." He smiled again and dashed off to class.

"O…okay." Shinobu sat back down, blushing, _"Did he just ask me out on a date?!"_

* * * * * * *

(That following Saturday)

"HE'S SO CUTE!" Shinobu cried out,

"Hey now don't hold back! Give us details!" Kitsune cried as everyone gathered at the couch.

"He's a junior right now, and the president of debate club! He's the captain of the tennis team and one of the top ten students in his class!" Shinobu placed her face on her cheeks and blushed, "And he's sooooooo dreamy! His teeth are bright white and his smile just makes me melt!"

"Aww! How cute!" Sarah laughed,

"Look it our little Shinobu, growing up so fast!" Naru teased,

Su jumped up and down, "He sounds dreamy! When do we get to meet him?"

Shinobu blushed, "Well he hasn't officially asked me out yet…"

"I knew it, it's a fluke!" Kitsune broke in, "He's not even real is he?"

"He is too!" Shinobu cried out, jumping on Kitsune,

"Geez, I was kidding! Kidding!" Kitsune struggled to get away as everyone else laughed in delight,

"So does this mean you're over Kei-Kun?" Mutsumi asked while Shinobu tried to strangle Kitsune,

"Sempai…?" Shinobu paused, _"So much has been going on I almost forgot about Keitaro… he goes off so much now though… maybe it's for the best." _"I… wait a second! When did you get here?"

"Fu, fu, fu." Mitsumi laughed, "I just got back with you know who!" Everyone stopped to process the thought and rushed to the front door, "Keitaro's back!" They ran outside and there waiting for them, with his van and gifts, was Keitaro. He dressed in a black shirt with a fine white jacket. He wore his glasses down a bit lower on his nose and scratched the back of his head, "Hi everyone! I'm home!"

Naru, of course, was the first to greet him, "Welcome home sweetie!" She hugged him and gave him a soft kiss,

"Um, hate to burst the happy reunion…" Kitsune chimed in, "But… who's that?" behind the van a man was pulling bags out of Keitaro's trunk. He noticed everyone stopped talking and looked up. He wore a brown, tattered, and worn out brown cloak that had a large hood over that casted a deep, dark shadow around his face, hiding it, even in the bright sunlight. The cloak ran down past the ground and revealed his dark brown boots and brown pants.

Sarah screamed, "A thief!"

Su cried out, "And he's stealing out presents!"

Motoko drew her sword and jumped through the air, "How dare you steal from this man, right in front of him and his house! Prepare to be vanquished." The man didn't seem to notice Motoko jump in the air, because the opening of his hood simply stared forward, Motoko's sword began to glow, "Split Rock Maneuver!" a wave of energy formed in a sharp U and glided towards the thief with profound speed, but before the energy touched the man, he simply moved his right foot back, becoming parallel with the strike, causing it to miss him completely. He jumped to the right as the van flew left from the impact of the attack and he landed softly on his feet. "He… he dodged it?" Motoko looked in shock as she landed,

"No worries Motoko, I got your back!" Su smiled as she aimed her fourteen shooter rocket launcher and fired.

"Wait! Su!" Keitaro cried, but no one could hear him. Fourteen missiles flew towards the brown cloaked man as Keitaro's voice was drowned out by the roar of rockets. The man pulled back his cloak, revealing a sword, and he quickly unsheathed it striking down one of the rockets. It split in half and continued past the man going both left and right, and moved far enough that the smaller explosion from the split missile barely grazed his flowing cloak. He jumped forward, springing off each missile delicately at their ends, causing the rockets to change course and push themselves towards the sky. As the last one flew towards the sky, the missiles began to collide with each other, exploding harmlessly in the sky. Motoko was ready for him as he landed, however, and swung her sword down over him. _Clang!_ The sound of the metal swords rang throughout the front yard, shaking the leaves of the trees. Motoko swung left and right but the man was too quick and, without even using his sword, dodged every blow.

"Enough of this!" Motoko cried out angry, her sword began to glow and again and she cried out, "Cutting Edge…"

"STOP!" Keitaro jumped in front of the thief and Motoko instantly stopped,

"Kei-Keitaro?" Motoko stood confused, but ready for an attack if needed. The others gathered together and looked over at Keitaro.

"I told you I could've gotten the bags." Keitaro turned and said to the man laughing. He turned back to the girls and smiled, "Everyone, this is Masuda Kanashiro. He'll be staying with us for a while."


	2. Blind Luck

A/N: Sorry, forgot to mention that I don't own any of the Love Hina characters! Except for Masuda! So please enjoy the story!

Chapter 2

Blind Luck

(A few months earlier)

"Ha, ha! Another priceless artifact!" Keitaro raised another vase above his head and handed it over to another archeologist, "What a day." Keitaro sighed and wiped the sweat off his head. He placed his shovel in the ground and smiled into the bright sky, "Naru… I hope everything's good at home." Keitaro wore light tan shorts and a white t-shirt and brown shoes. His hair was wet from sweating and legs were tired from standing in the heat all day. "Finally, some rest…"

"Hey part-timer!" Seta called, Keitaro turned around seeing Seta dressed in his trademark white lab coat.

"What is it Seta?"

"Hakura and a bunch of the other archeologists dug up the remains of an old temple!"

"What?! No way!"

Seta finally reached Keitaro and stopped to take a breath, "Yeah… It's only the top of the ruin though the sand is covering the rest of it up. You've got to come check it out!"

Seta grabbed Keitaro and a shovel and raced back towards the construction site, "W-wait!" Keitaro pleaded, "I want to sleep!" Minutes later the two were at the dome. The site was huge, at least two football fields long, and they barely uncovered the tip of the temple. "Holy crap! This is huge!"

Seta smiled, "Yup! And there's a lot more work to be done! So start digging!"

Keitaro, despite being tired, began to vigorously dig away, _"This could be the greatest discovery since King Tut's tomb!"_ CLANK! Keitaro's eyes gleamed, "I've hit something!" Keitaro began to dig faster, invigorated with power as his heart raced. Dust began to fly everywhere as Keitaro's speed began, "Seta! I think I'm on to something!"

Seta hurried over and stopped sharply, "Um… Keitaro?"

Keitaro stopped and stood blankly at Seta and the others who noticed his rowdy behavior, "Uh… yeah?"

Seta smiled and pointed to his feet. Keitaro looked down and saw the ceiling of the temple he had found, except it was cracking. "Holy sh…!" before he could finish his cry, the stone beneath his feet crumbled and he began to spiral into the darkness. He seemed to fall into the abyss for hours until he hit the ground. Keitaro groaned, "Feels like I broke something…" Keitaro tried to stand but something smashed into his head, Keitaro let out a wail and looked up at the small light where he fell through and saw an outline of someone.

"Don't worry part-timer we'll get you out of there! But while you're at it, take a look around with that flashlight for some artifacts!"

"I'm gonna die down here and you want me to look for artifacts?!" But the shadow was already gone. Keitaro sighed, "Might as well, I guess." Keitaro picked up the flashlight and turned it on. The room he was in was vast, with huge decorated pillars in every direction. The ceilings had faded paintings on them and the walls were nowhere to be seen. "Wow! It's beautiful down here!" Keitaro took on step forward and heard a large click. Looking down, he and noticed the tile he had stepped on had sunk into the ground. "That's probably not good." A large cracking sound began to whir and Keitaro began to panic, "What's going on?!" Keitaro pointed his flashlight to the pillar near him and saw small panels opening and small crossbows protruding from the holes. "What the..?!" Keitaro began to ran, but the more he ran the more tiles began to sink around him, causing the more arrows to fly in his direction, "Someone help me!!" Suddenly Keitaro felt a tug on his shirt and his feet began to lift from the ground. He looked up and saw a figure pick him up from above. "What's going on?!" Keitaro shined his flashlight up, and he saw a brown cloaked man swinging from a rope, pulling him away from the arrows. Soon after Keitaro stopped feeling the air of passing arrows whish by him and began to struggle violently, "Please don't kill me!"

Soon after Keitaro was dropped and after getting off from the ground he looked up and shined his flashlight at his savior/soon-to-be-killer. The man was a bit taller the Keitaro but wore a long, tattered, brown cloak. His boots were torn and ripping, as were his pants, and he had several cuts and scars around his arms and some parts of his chest that Keitaro could see from his light. His body was well-defined and toned but shook slightly from, what Keitaro thought, fatigue. The hood around his face remained pitch black however, even with the light shining directly at it, _"Why isn't the light working on his face?" _Keitaro thought, but he soon shook the idea from his head and took a step forward, "H-hey!" The man, in defense, took a step back and pushed his cloak out of the way and placed his hand on a sheathed sword. "Whoa!" Keitaro recoiled, "I don't want to fight you, I got lost down here and don't know where I am!"

The man paused a moment in silence, and moved his cloak over his sword again and relaxed, "Who are you?" his voice sounded tired and dry,

"M-my name's Keitaro Urashima, a group of archeologists and I found this temple and were trying to dig it up for research."

"Well then, Mr. Urashima, I would advise against that. The Kanashiro Palace does not welcome strangers. There are traps for everyone who dare try."

"Wait a second, who are you? What are you doing down here?"

"My name… it seems so long since I've been asked that." He paused, as if trying to remember who he was, "My name… is Masuda… Masuda Kanashiro."

"K-Kanashiro?! You mean the same Kanashiro's that this palace belongs to?"

"Indeed. My family, centuries ago, owned this palace. Now it is nothing but a death trap for all who enter."

"Wait, how long have you been down here and how did you even survive a place like this?"

"There is no time for talk, we must be moving." Masuda began to walk away,

"W-what? Wait for me!" Keitaro sprinted and stayed close to Masuda, "so you never answered my question Masuda."

"I trained and lived here long ago, but now it is my grave." They suddenly stopped and Masuda raised his left hand. He moved a bit to the left until his hand touched one of the huge pillars.

"Here, let me shine the light for you." Keitaro began to move the light over to where Masuda was touching but as soon as the light hit the wall Masuda took his hand off,

"No need I am done." They began walking again and Keitaro followed, highly confused. The soon reached a small camp with a small pond and a tiny fire crackling in the darkness. They sat and rested for a bit before Keitaro got the courage to continue the conversation.

"Masuda?"

"Yes Mr. Urashima?"

"You can just call me Keitaro."

"Yes Keitaro?"

"I noticed your voice sounded a bit dry, shouldn't you take a drink of water?"

"No, I cannot. That water is what keeps me alive down here."

"Oh… how long have you been down here…?"

"I've been here since I was a child, seven or eight years of age."

"Wait, that doesn't make sense, the Kanashiro family Palace was buried at least four thousand years ago."

"The Kanashiro family is… very stubborn Mr. Urashima. Our enemies thought we were gone, but we continued to thrive here, a small civilization, for a long time. For centuries we thrived down here and stayed alive by digging deeper into the earth. My mother, a former servant for the family, married the master swordsman of the Kanashiro family. I was trained and have lived here for my entire life. My family delayed their age by drinking from a fountain that is said to contain the spirit life of our ancestors."

_"Huh? Okay, this guy's crazy." _Keitaro thought in his mind,

"I assure you I am not lying." Masuda continued coolly,

"What?" Keitaro screamed in surprised, _"Did he hear what I was thinking?" _Keitaro sat up and quickly changed the subject, "So wait, how old are you then?"

"I seemed to have lost track, but thanks to the fountain water, I am probably around ninety-six."

"You don't really except me to believe that do you?" Keitaro laughed,

"It's the truth!" Masuda exclaimed,

"Well where is everyone else if the fountain does prolong your life? And what happened to this place?"

"It is a long a difficult story to tell… but…"

* * * * * * *

(Back in present time)

"Thank you Urashima but I believe you can stop there." Masuda politely as he cued Keitaro to end the story there.

"Oh okay, sorry Masuda." Keitaro scratched the back of his head and smiled, "And that's how we met, well basically."

"Oh wow!" Su cried out, "Are you really ninety-six years old?"

"Su! It's impolite to ask someone their age!" Shinobu chimed in, "I'm sure you're both tired, I'll go get some tea for you both."

"Thanks Shinobu!" Keitaro smiled at her,

"Yes, thank you." Masuda added,

"No problem." Shinobu smiled and darted off to the kitchen,

"So, I know everyone's dying to ask," Kitsune stood from her chair and smiled, pointing to Masuda, "why do you wear that dirty old thing?"

Naru jumped at Kitsune and covered her mouth, "Kitsune! That's not very nice!" She sat Kitsune back down on the couch and walked towards, "I'm grateful for you brining back Keitaro, he can be such a hassle sometimes." She smiled nervouslybut noticed that Masuda wasn't even looking in her direction but before she could think of the thought any further Keitaro cut her train of thought.

"What do you mean a hassle huh?!" Keitaro stood up waving his arms around wildly, "I can take care of myself!"

Naru laughed, "Oh please you couldn't last in a week on your own. You constantly need someone to look after you."

"Hey! Take that back!" Keitaro took a step forward but lost his footing and stumbled, face first, into Naru's chest, _"Oh shit…."_Keitaro quickly recovered and backed away as Naru's fist began to glow,

"You pervert! Really? In front of the guest?!" Naru slammed her fist into Keitaro's face and he flew towards the kitchen door, just as Shinobu was carrying the tray of tea out.

Shinobu let out a cry and tossed the plate into the air while ducking as Keitaro zoomed by into the kitchen. Suddenly, there was another cry and Shinobu looked up, seeing Masuda had taken two cups of tea to the head.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry Masuda!" She hurried over to Masuda and pulled back on the cloak, "Here take this off! You'll get sick!"

Masuda, confused as to what had happened, had hardly any time to react and before he could say anything, his cloak was already off. Keitaro made his way back into the room but stood in shock as he looked up at Masuda. Everyone stood in awe, except Shinobu who was trying to fold the cloak up. As soon as the cloak was folded she noticed no one speaking, "What's wrong everyone? Why is everyone so quiet?" She turned around, back to Masuda, and stood with her mouth ajar.

Masuda had no shirt on; his body was perfectly fit; his muscles were tone and defined, even with the scars around his chest. Shinobu stood there, blushing, and was about to say something until he turned around back to Shinobu and she caught site of what everyone was staring at. There was a large, dirty, white, rag that covered his eyes. "May I have my cloak back?" Masuda reached his hand out, thought not completely in line with Shinobu.

Shinobu raised her hand over her mouth in utter disbelief, _"He… he's blind?!"_

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm glad to be back! Please review! PLEASE! THANK YOU! =]

PS! If you're wondering how Masuda could dodge Motoko's attack and Su's missiles, but NOT the cup of tea… that'll be explained next chapter! X]


	3. A Blind Man

Chapter 3

A Blind Man

"_He… he's blind?!" _Shinobu dropped the cloak on the ground and the room stayed quiet.

Masuda cocked his head to the right, as if listening for something, and "looked" around, "Is… something wrong?"

"What do you mean 'is something wrong'?!" Kitsune jumped up and pointed at Masuda, "You've been blind this whole time?!"

Masuda turned to face Kitsune, "Well technically, I've only been this way since I was about ten."

Motoko stood with her sword in hand, "How could you have dodged my attack then?!"

"Or jump on my missiles!" Su added,

"Not to mention save Keitaro in that temple." Naru also added.

Masuda took a seat back on the couch, "I've been training my whole life with a special technique that does not require the aid of my eyes. I was able to save Keitaro because I spent my entire life in that temple, so I knew the temple well enough to help Keitaro out."

"T-that doesn't make any sense!" Shinobu called out, "Why didn't you get out of the way when the tea went flying at you?!"

"That's because… when I'm in danger, my body gains super human strength."

"R-really?!" The entire house stood in shock, waiting for his answer,

There was a short pause, "No of course not! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Masuda smiled as the others groaned of disappointment,

"You still haven't answered the question!" Shinobu fired back,

"Quite simple really, if you think about it. Because I am blind, all my other senses have increased in order to adapt to my lack of sight. So, in essence, by hearing someone call me a thief and then shouting 'rock split technique' I sensed something was coming."

"That still doesn't explain the tea!" Shinobu insisted,

"That one is also easy to explain, when you throw a cup of tea in the air, it makes no noise until it hits the ground, unlike an arrow that is traveling fast enough to make sound in the wind. Also, with Keitaro and… Shinobu was it? With both of them screaming so loudly it'd be difficult to hear anything at all."

"How do you know how rockets sound then??" Su questioned,

Masuda laughed a little, "You girls ask way too many questions, but, if no one minds, I'd like to head in for the rest of the day, it's been very tiring."

Keitaro, who had already been in the room since, hurried forward and grabbed Masuda's cloak and arm, "Let me take you to your room Masuda."

"Thank you Mr. Urashima." Masuda replied, "Don't worry, after a few days I'll be able to walk around freely."

"Um, it's not a problem Masuda, and call me Keitaro."

"Wait! Where will he be staying?" Naru asked,

Keitaro stopped and turned around, "Just a guest room, I think the room number was 200 something?"

Shinobu jerked back, "But… that's near my room!"

"Well it's one of the only rooms we have left on the first floor, I wouldn't want Masuda walking up and down the stairs." Keitaro explained. He turned back to Masuda, "Here this way."

The girls stood there in silence, someone sighed and they sat back down. Mutsumi, whom everyone forgot was there, smiled and looked up, "I'm sorry I seemed to have dozed off, what happened?"

* * * * * * *

(Later, in the hot springs)

Naru shook her head, "Well at least he can't peep on us."

"He IS a descendent from the Kanashiro family, he may be loaded!" Kitsune added in, "He's not too bad looking either…"

"Is that all you think about Kitsune!" Naru cried out while swatting Kitsune on the head,

"Well it's like I can do anything about it, lucky Shinobu gets to sleep in the room next to him!"

"H-hey!" Shinobu said in defense, "I didn't ask for him to be in the room next to me!"

Kitsune smiled, "Oh how romantic, sneaking over to the next room and doing… who knows what!"

An image came into Shinobu's head, she began to think of the fit body of Masuda pressed near hers and she began to blush, _"What am I thinking?!" _Shinobu yelled in her head. She frantically waved her arms around and cried back to Kitsune, "Th-that's ridiculous! I'd never do that!"

Naru laughed and then looked over at Motoko who quietly sat in the Spring, unmoving, "Are you alright Motoko? You've been acting strange ever since we got into the bath."

Kitsune smiled, walking over to her, "Maybe she's love struck! He is a fine swordsman after all!"

Motoko gave a death glare at Kitsune, "That's not it at all!"

Kitsune laughed, "Well then what is it then?"

"That man…" Motoko's voice began to trail off, "I've been wondering if he really is a descendent from the Kanashiro family."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Shinobu asked,

"The Kanashiro family," Motoko replied, "was a wealthy family that dealt with defeating demons and exorcising possessed homes or bodies. According to legend, a group of demons formed together and caused earthquakes and sandstorms that buried their home deep underground."

"Is that true?" Shinobu asked,

"How do you know that Motoko?" Naru questioned,

"This is because…" Motoko paused, "It is a part of my history. Only one of the family members survived. They were out away on a mission, or something, when the event happened, and when she returned, there was nothing for her to go to. So she ran and hid, deep in the mountains. For decades demons ran free among humans, doing what they please. My ancestors fled to the mountains, seeking refuge and met along with the Kanashiro woman. From there…" She paused, "…From there they created the God's Cry School."

"What?!" The group of girls screamed in unison,

"Okay this is just too much information to handle right now…" Naru groaned,

"My head hurts!" Su complained rubbing her head.

"So wait a minute," Shinobu continued, "what does that mean…?"

Motoko sat and thought for a bit, "I don't know what that means…"

"This guy is nothing but questions and confusion." Kitsune complained as she continued to wash her hair,

"But he did help Keitaro out. The least we can do is let him stay for a few days." Naru commented,

Motoko stood, "In the mean time I must find out if this man really is who he says, I am going to contact my sister, she'll know for sure."

"This doesn't make any sense, but okay…" Su smiled and ran off to get her towel,

Kitsune smiled, "Su's got the right idea! Let's get out of here and get some grub! I'm pruning up!"

* * * * * * *

(Meanwhile, in Masuda's new room)

"Thank you for all you've done for me Keitaro." Masuda said as he sat on his bed,

Keitaro placed Masuda's cloak in the closet as he replied, "It's the least I can do Masuda. Without you I would've died down in that temple!" He laughed, nervously.

"I forgot to mention…" Masuda began, "you know… that second part of your story, the part I cut you off at? Would you mind keeping that just between you and me for now?"

"Wha…? Um, sure Masuda, but could I ask why?"

Masuda was about to open his mouth to speak, when he stopped. He stood and drew his sword, throwing it at the door. Keitaro screamed and ducked and the sword vertically cut through the fabric of the Japanese door and stuck on the wall outside, followed by a scream. "Who's there?" Masuda demanded.

"Wait! S-stop!" a voice pleaded. The door slowly opened and revealed Shinobu, her sweater ripped across her stomach, fortunately, she was not harmed.

Keitaro looked back, "Shinobu?! Are you alright?"

Shinobu slumped to the ground with tears in her eyes, "D-dinner's ready…" she sighed and fell backwards, unconscious.

Keitaro turned around, "You can't just throw swords at people!"

Masuda's mouth made a concerned look, "I'm sorry! I just heard someone outside and… well it's just my instinct."

Keitaro sighed, "It's okay." Keitaro looked down at Shinobu, "Man her favorite sweater is ruined."

Masuda took two hurried steps forward, stumbling around the coffee table near his futon, "Give the jacket to me, I can sew it up."

"You can sew?" Keitaro asked, impressed and surprised,

"When you've lived in the same clothes long enough you learn to sew." Masuda smiled,

Keitaro laughed a bit, "Alright well we'll get this sweater off and head out to dinner." Keitaro began to pull the sweater off of Shinobu when he heard footsteps around the corner.

"Keitaro! Dinner's read…" It was Naru, and she paused mid-sentence as she turned the corner and saw a dumbstruck Keitaro pulling off Shinobu's clothes. "Y-you… PERVERT!" Her head twitched and her fist began to tremble.

"W-wait! Naru! It's not what it seems!" Keitaro pleaded, but it was too late, and Naru's fist had already connected with his face, sending him flying down the hall.

A/N: Not as long as I had hoped it to be, but it's getting there! I hope you're enjoying this! I know it's going off kind of slow but please review and let me know what you think!


	4. Blind Sight

Chapter 4

Blind Sight

"Hello?" Shinobu called out, but the halls of the Hinata House only replied with an echo of her own voice. She sighed, "Where is everybody?" she walked opened up Keitaro's room, seeing books and papers on his desk, but he himself was nowhere to be found. _"I thought Sempai came back from his trip already…" _Shinobu thought to herself. She felt a cold wind blow and she began to shiver, "Wh-what the…" Shinobu began to hear faint crying coming from a few doors down. "Is someone there?" Shinobu said leaning back from the door she was standing in. The only sound she heard was the soft weeps of the voice. She closed the door to the room she was in and walked forward, "Hello?" She walked quickened her pace a bit and the weeping grew louder. She turned a corner and she was in the hall that led to her room and her door was partially open. The crying continued as Shinobu began to shake, "I…is someone there…?" She cautiously walked to her door and peeked her head in through the opening. She saw a woman crying on the ground near her jewelry box, her forehead against the box with her hair covering any part of her face. "M-miss…?" She bent over to touch her shoulder, when suddenly the woman's arm shot up and grabbed Shinobu by the wrist. Shinobu screamed and tried to pull her arm back but the woman's grip was too tight,

The woman raised her head and Shinobu screamed louder. Her skin seemed to sag off her face as if she was melting, pulling all her features down. The sagging skin began to, also, drag her eyeballs out of their sockets as a gush of tears fell from behind them. Her skull and jaw began to be exposed and her voice was deafening as she spoke, "You will give it to me!" Shinobu couldn't reply; her voice failed her as she tried to ask what the woman was talking about. The woman grabbed Shinobu's arm with her other hand and screamed even louder, "Where is it?! You will give it to me!" Shinobu felt something press against her forearm as the woman grabbed her and she noticed something black in her hand.

Shinobu tried even harder to pull away, and screamed louder, "Help me! Someone!"

The woman began to stand, "Tell me where it is!" Her voice began to sound like a broken record and it vibrated. The woman stood up and lunged at Shinobu her skull, now, fully visible and what had used to be her face was now dangling from her jawbone. Shinobu took a step back but tripped and as the woman was about to land on top of Shinobu…

* * * * * * *

Shinobu woke up in her bed with a start, _"Where am I?" _She thought to herself, she looked around and saw she was in her room. She winced in pain and she felt the slight bump on her head where she had fallen, _"Oh… I remember now."_ She sighed, remembering her sweater and fell back down on her pillow. She felt her black pendant fall to the side of her neck and she picked it up, playing with it in her fingers. She sighed again and closed her eyes.

"SHINOBU!" a voiced yelled and she, again, jumped out of bed, Naru slammed the doors open and saw Shinobu staring at her dumbfounded, "What are you still doing in bed?!" Shinobu still looked confused, "It's almost nine! You're going to be late for school if you don't leave now!"

"What?!" Shinobu looked at her clock as it blinked at her the time: 8:45. She screamed in shock, "How long was I out?!" She jumped from her bed and threw on her clothes, grabbing her books as she put on her shoes she dashed out the door, "Bye everyone!" she managed to scream as she raced down the steps. She began to breathe heavily and as she turned the corner, she saw the cable car to Tokyo U and she began to tear up, "No! Wait for me!" She began to slow down as she saw her attempts to catch the car were failing her. She stopped and took huge breaths, "No…" Her tears began to start when suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind,

Shinobu turned around in shock, but before she could say anything she looked up and saw a familiar face, "Shinobu!" it was Saygun. He was dressed in a buttoned up shirt, slacks, and shoes that were bright white and gleamed in the sun.

"O-oh! Saygun, you startled me." She sighed but looked up as his hand brushed against her cheek,

"What's with the tears, hmm?" He smiled at her, "Gonna be late?" She had a look of disappointment and lowered her head, nodding yes. Saygun laughed, "Hey, hey! Don't get sad! I was just walking to my car, why don't I give you a ride."

"R-really?!" Shinobu asked her face gleaming with hope,

"Of course, come on." Saygun and Shinobu hurried down the street and got into a nice black car.

They began to drive and Shinobu began to blush, _"This is the first time a guy has ever offered me a ride before."_Shinobu thought, excited, "Saygun?"

"Yes?" Saygun replied,

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you live around here? I mean, since your car is down here and all."

"Somewhat." Saygun laughed, "All my roommates have cars so the parking around my apartment is full. The area around my apartment is always so busy so parking on the curb never appealed to me, so I thought I'd park down here, have a nice walk in the morning before going to school."

Shinobu smiled, "Wow that's really smart!"

Saygun smiled, "Nah, not really, but lucky for you I park down here huh?" Saygun laughed,

Shinobu laughed as well, shyly, "Yeah…" She began to blush and slapped her forehead with an open palm, _"What the hell was that Shinobu?! 'Wow that's really smart'?! I sound like a retard!" _

"Something wrong?" Saygun asked, smiling with his white teeth that complemented his white attire,

"N-no, nothing!" Shinobu answered quickly and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

When they reached the university Saygun pulled up to the drop-off zone, "I figured you should head to class first, instead of waiting for me to find parking."

Shinobu nodded, "Okay, thank you again Saygun." She smiled and began to get out of the car,

"Shinobu?" Saygun called to her as she closed the door.

Shinobu looked through the window of the passenger's side and smiled, "Yes?"

"Hey I really liked driving with you today, maybe we should do it a bit more often." He smiled and Shinobu began to blush madly,

"O-okay! Sure!"

Saygun's smile grew bigger, "Alright, I'll see you at lunch then right?"

"A-alright!" She smiled and he waved goodbye as he drove away. Shinobu began walking away, but kept an eye on where Saygun's car was. As soon as it was out of sight she jumped in the air and cheered, "YAY!" She danced throughout the halls to her class and gracefully sat in her seat with a smiling. Nothing could possibly ruin her day now.

* * * * * * *

(Later that day, at the Hinata House)

Shinobu gleefully skipped up the concrete stairs to the Hinata House smiling. She stepped in through the door and took her shoes off and energetically shouted, "I'm home!" She smiled and listened, waiting for a response. There was none. Her heart began to slowly race and checked around, "Is anyone home?" She looked through the kitchen and out by the hot springs, but there seemed to be no sign of anyone. She her began to become paranoid, "I guess I can start cooking dinner a bit early..." her voice trailed off as she hurried to her room to change, when she noticed that the door to Masuda's room was open. She walked cautiously to the door and peered inside, there was no one there however. Her tension eased and she was about to head to her room when something caught her on Masuda's bed. "Hey… isn't that…" her voice was almost a whisper but she didn't need to finish the rest of the sentence. On Masuda's bed was the sweater that was cut the day before, except it was sown perfectly; Shinobu rushed to the sweater and picked it up. She looked and looked but couldn't even find where the cut had previously been, "This… looks amazing!" Shinobu smiled but it quickly faded as she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around, scared, and saw Masuda, with a white rag around his hands; he was wearing his brown cloak, concealing his face. "Who's there?" He asked,

Shinobu let out a breath of relief, _"It's just Masuda…" _She smiled, "It's Shinobu."

Masuda paused, as if thinking, and his head slightly moved up, as if suddenly remembering, "Ah! Shinobu, I'm glad you're here. I've finished patching up your sweater." He walked forward, moved around the coffee table in the middle of the room and found his way to his bed, where he sat down.

"Th-thank you very much Mr. Kanashiro, you really didn't have…"

"It was no problem Shinobu," Masuda replied, cutting her off, "and please, call me Masuda."

Shinobu was about to reply in response but she caught a glimpse at the white rag he was holding and saw that it was covered in small blotches of blood. "Oh! Are you bleeding?!" She cried out, placing the jacket to the ground and kneeling near him, grabbing his hands,

Masuda laughed, "Just a bit. I'll tell you, sewing up my cloak is a lot easier then sewing something I've never seen. Tell me, does it look good?"

Shinobu grabbed the white rag and tossed it aside, she saw his hands were pricked and in all different ways and she sighed, "It looks wonderful, really. Let me get you some band aids."

"I'm glad you like it." Shinobu got up and hurried to her room, returning shortly with a small box of band aids, "What are band aids, Shinobu?"

"Huh?" Shinobu asked, confused, then she remembered, _"Oh yeah, I guess he never used a band aid in that temple before." _She smiled at him, pulling out band aids from the box, "Band aids are like little bands you place around a wound that helps it heal."

She placed a band aid on his hand and he recoiled, "Why does it feel that way?"

"You mean sticky?" She asked,

"Yes. Why?"

"It's to hold the band aid in place without having to tie it around your finger." She closed the band aid and reached for another one. There was silence for a bit as Shinobu placed the rest of the band aids on.

"Thank you Shinobu." Masuda said as she finished the last band aid.

She laughed, "There's no need to thank me Masuda. I should be thanking you for fixing my sweater."

"If it wasn't for me your sweater wouldn't need to be fixed in the first place." He sighed,

"Hey, cheer up!" Shinobu encouraged, "There was no harm done so you don't have to worry about it alright?" She smiled at him, forgetting he was unable to see it. He pulled off his hood and returned with a smile. Shinobu began to blush but shook it off quickly, _"What's happening to me?" _She got up and walked backwards towards the door, "I'm gonna go make dinner now…" her voice trailed off slowly.

Masuda stood up, "Wait! Watch out for the…" Shinobu screamed as she backed into the coffee table in the middle of the room and stumbled over it. Right before she hit the ground, she felt an arm grab her by the upper back. She opened her eyes and looked up, her eyes met with Masuda's white rag that was over his own eyes. His body was pressed up against hers; his other arm placed on the ground to help support their balance. Masuda felt Shinobu's breath move softly across his cheeks as he held her. They both blushed, Shinobu more than Masuda and both of their mouths were ajar and silent.

Shinobu's arms were pressed in between her chest and Masuda's, and her heart began to pound. _"Wh…what's happening…? Why do I feel this way…?"_ Shinobu's heart began to beat faster they longer they stayed there, and though she didn't know how, she knew Masuda could hear it. She felt his heart against her arms begin to beat faster as well and soon Shinobu found herself moving closer to Masuda's lips. Masuda felt Shinobu's breath get closer and began to move in closer as well. They moved closer and closer together, Masuda now pressing his arm against Shinobu's back to push her closer. But suddenly, the pendant around Shinobu shifted and slid around the side of her neck and jingled as it reached the end of the chain. Masuda stopped and there was a moment of slight stasis. He pulled her up, along with his own body, and reached for the pendant,

"What is this?"

Shinobu, completely confused and dazed at this point began to stutter, "Well… it's.. it's just a pendant."

"I know what it is," Masuda replied, "Describe it for me!"

"Well.. it's.. well it's black, and kind of an odd shape, almost like a hexagon mixed with… a… a… a diamond?"

"What?!" Masuda stepped back, shocked, he grabbed his sword, which rested against the wall near his bed and began to tie it around his belt, "After all these years, it was with you…"

Shinobu was even more confused, "W-What are you talking about?"

"Fate drew me here for a reason! My ancestors pointed me to you for this!" He finished tying the sword around his waist and grabbed Shinobu by the shoulders, "Please tell Keitaro thank you! And I am sorry Shinobu." He grabbed the pendant and with a flick of his wrist, broke the small chain and began to rush out of the room.

"W-wait!" Shinobu cried out, "That's not the real thing!"

But it was too late, Masuda was already out the door but he suddenly stopped at the foot of the stairs. "Masuda Kanashiro!" It was Motoko and her sister, "We've come to challenge you to a duel!"

"No… not now!" Masuda cried out,

"It is only by a duel between us that will determine if you really are a descendant of the Kanashiro family!"

Masuda quickly darted to his right, only to be stopped by Kitsune and Su, "I leave for a quick banana and booze run and you're causing trouble already?" Kitsune laughed with a bag of bananas in her hand and Su carrying bottles of wine.

Masuda quickly turned and ran for the other way and he also paused, "Masuda?" It was Keitaro and Naru, "Where are you going off to?"

He quickly turned back around and Shinobu stood by the doorway, "Masuda! That's not really my pendant!"

Masuda stood confused, "Wh-what?!"

"That's a replica pendant Su made for me so I could keep the real one safe. Feel the back!"

Masuda began to feel the back and began to notice the engravings of Su's trademark the eyeball symbol. He began to tremble, "This isn't the real pendant?" he continued to feel, with both hands and his finger moved across a switch, "What the…? A switch?"

Shinobu looked confused, "Su did you add a switch on the pendant?"

"Of course!" Su replied cheerfully, "I had to add the self-destruct button somewhere!"

"Self… self destruct?" Masuda asked confused, "What does that mean…?"

Shinobu looked towards Masuda shocked, "Masuda! Throw the pendant…!"

But her voice was cut off as a giant explosion engulfed Masuda and he fell to the ground, still.

A/N: How is this chapter? The story is kind of getting into the good stuff-ish… just didn't want to rush the story so fast X]

I hope everyone enjoying the story and thank you for reading! R&R if you can!

-Q


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